Kia Spied Testing Hot EV9 With Recaro Seats And Roll Cage

Aug. 08, 2022 6:44 PM ET by Jared Rosenholtz Spy Shots / 5 Comments

Developing a family EV at the Nurburgring? This could be the EV9 GT.

Kia's EV9 has been spied doing laps around the Nurburgring
The test mule is equipped with a roll cage and bucket seats
Expect at least 577 horsepower

We doubt any Telluride SUV owner has ever taken their three-row crossover to the Nurburgring race track in Germany, but that hasn't stopped Kia from taking its latest electric vehicle to the legendary Green Hell.

We've previously spotted test mules of the upcoming 2024 Kia EV9 on the move, driving around city streets as the average owner will do. But our latest spy shots were taken on and outside the Nurburgring, where the large EV crossover was put through its paces.

This Kia EV9 prototype has shed its heavy black cladding in favor of a thinner camouflage wrap. The camo prevents us from seeing the final design, but we are starting to better understand how much the EV9 will resemble the gas-powered Telluride.

We know that Kia will build a performance-oriented GT version of every EV series model, so we wonder if that's what the company is testing here. This test mule is riding on very different wheels than we've seen in previous spy shots, though they appear pre-production.

The photos reveal aggressive Recaro seats and a roll cage, but we believe these were only installed for safety purposes during testing. Imagine if Kia sold a three-row SUV, then made the second and third rows useless with a roll cage.

If the power output remains the same as the EV6 GT, we can expect at least 577 horsepower. 0-60 mph will take only five seconds, but it's unclear if that estimate is for the base model or the EV9 GT.

Kia will reveal the production EV9 sometime in 2023. Whether or not a GT trim is available at launch remains to be seen.

Like the EV6, the EV9 will arrive sporting some impressive EV specifications, including an 800-volt charging architecture, 335-mile driving range, over-the-air software update capability, and a hands-free autonomous driving mode (coming in 2025).

With an added focus on high-speed charging, the EV9 should replenish a 60-mile driving range in just six minutes. When it arrives on the market, we expect the EV9 to sell for around $50,000. We should note that automakers frequently test handling limits and driving nannies on the Nurburgring, even if the vehicle isn't necessarily a sporty model.

You can also take a look at the top-rated electric vehicles for families.

Kia Spied Testing Hot EV9 With Recaro Seats And Roll Cage

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Kia Spied Testing Hot EV9 With Recaro Seats And Roll Cage

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